I just learned a pretty good tip that takes the sting out of chopping onions. You take two candles and set one to either side of the onion on the chopping board. The vapor that gets released from the onion gets sucked into the flames of the candles and you don't get your eyes burned. I just tried it and it seemed to work quite well. The candles I used were about 8 inches tall. Hope this helps.
EC